SpaceX is set to launch its CRS-35 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, October 13. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry a Dragon capsule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with liftoff scheduled for 6:33 a.m. EDT (1033 GMT). Live coverage of the launch will begin at 6:15 a.m. EDT (1015 GMT) on Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
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This mission marks the 35th under SpaceX's Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. If successful, the Dragon capsule is expected to arrive at the ISS on Thursday, October 15, autonomously docking at approximately 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT). Coverage of the docking will also be available on Space.com starting at 9:15 a.m. EDT (1315 GMT).
CRS-35 will deliver a total of 6,300 pounds (2,860 kilograms) of supplies, including the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs), designed to enhance the station's energy capacity. The cargo includes scientific equipment for various research projects, such as hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity aimed at restoring vision, and 3D heart tissue models for drug testing.
Additionally, the Dragon capsule will transport materials to investigate the formation of a new type of glass in microgravity and brain organoids that could assist in finding treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis.
The Dragon capsule will remain attached to the ISS for about a month before returning to Earth, where it will descend under parachutes into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. Unlike other cargo vehicles, the Dragon is the only one capable of bringing cargo back to Earth, as others like Russia's Progress, Japan's HTV-X, and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL are designed to be expendable.